both of which, as our nation's 30 little secret about bullying in schools across america. both the movie and the book put a human face on what it's about, how it impacts kids, on both sides and on the sideline, and their families. so thank you so much cynthia for being here today. why don't we start with you telling us a little bit about yourself? how did you get here? how did you get drawn to the issue? y. here, why now? >> guest: i come from a background as a writer and when i was in middle school, i was one of those kids who was really shy. i think i try to sail under the radar and i was someone who -- and i didn't know what to do about it. all of us i think in this country were starting to see people coming out in talking about their experience with this phenomenon that so many of us had have experienced in one way or another and have had no word for it other than adolescents, other than growing up. finally, people were starting to stand back and say, hold on, this isn't a normal part of growing up. this is not a normal rite of passage. i think there was a moment where